In the millennia since their birth, the supernatural races had developed something of a routine.
The youkai would threaten humanity, seeking appeasement in tribute or blood. The gods would bless humans, granting them the power or assistance to overcome the trials imposed by the world and youkai and destroy what threatened their worshippers. The more neutral spirits would largely just look out for their own patches of the world, rewarding those who aided it and punishing those who threatened it.
It was a comfortable rhythm. Every side got what they wanted, and while there were casualties, most youkai with common sense understood when to duck out of the limelight for a time. The more powerful youkai would even deliberately stay in the background for decades, manipulating things from behind the scenes and only making a handful of appearances to keep the fear coming.
No one wanted to ruin a good thing after all. The lesser youkai could rampage and die without causing real issues, but a war between those who stood at the top of the supernatural world would ravage entire countries if not the world itself. For the sake of avoiding that, the various players made sure to stay as far out of one another's way as they could allow.
There were the occasional meetings, discussions between two or three big names on matters of importance, and a handful of skirmishes when diplomacy failed, but by large any interaction between them was a delicate process that could take months or even years.
As such, Okina Matara was more than a little surprised to find Yukari Yakumo of all people floating through her domain. As if she were out for a stroll rather than trespassing on secret god's territory.
Even among the schemers and shadowy masterminds embroiled in The Game, the Youkai of Boundaries was an infamous figure, a boogeyman to mortals, youkai, and gods alike. She would appear out of nowhere and vanish without warning, a thousand and one whispers in the ears of anyone who might prove useful to her schemes.
What she was not, was direct. The number of incidents in which she clearly involved herself could be counted on one hand with fingers left over, each a potential catastrophe of immense proportions.
As such, this sight told Okina that something was either very wrong or Yakumo had finally snapped. Opting to skip the usual formalities and just find out what this was about, she sent her servants Satano and Mai to escort Yukari to her.
Shortly afterward, the pair returned with Okina's surprise guest. Giving the ruler of The Land of The Back Door her first clear look at Yukari.
At first glance, the intruder seemed the same as she had during their last encounter; her long blond hair flowing behind her, violet eyes taking in every aspect of the room, her ever-immaculate pink dress and purple tabard, and the ribbons in her pale-pink mob cap fluttering in the breeze.
Yet, for those sufficiently skilled in the art of observation, another set of facts became apparent. The air of detached serenity that usually filled her eyes had given way to a desperate edge, her once-smooth movements were marred with subtle fidgets, and her usual smirk was uncharacteristically brittle.
"So," Okina said, raising an eyebrow at the new arrival. "What brings the oh-so-fearsome Youkai Of Boundaries to my domain? Have you come to pay tribute perhaps?"
"No, I'm afraid that is not the purpose of my visit," Yukari said. "Rather, I'm here regarding a particularly pressing matter that concerns us all."
"Oh? Did the Lunarians finally decide purifying this world is worth the effort?" The Secret God asked, letting out a huff of amusement. "Or perhaps your human's life simply wasn't enough for that tree?"
Clenching her fists at the disregard for her friend's sacrifice, Yukari swallowed her anger and spoke through gritted teeth. "No. Something far worse than either of those possibilities."
"Of course," Okina said, tone dripping with condescending mockery. "Something terrible enough for the renowned Yukari Yakumo to forget the wit she is known for and barge into a gods abode, demanding their time without recompense. Did the Brothers themselves finally grow tired of your existence?"
"Not just me," Yukari said softly. "Of all of us. In three years' time, they will scour the world clean."
Those words instantly put an end to Okina's mockery, leaving the lord of the land gaping in naked shock. Her servants fared even worse, Satano outright collapsing at the thought and Mai fell to her knees in horror.
To her credit, Okina rallied quickly. She snapped out of her trance, forgoing propriety and grabbing Yukari by her collar to drag the latter's face close to her own. Yellow eyes boring into violet with the intensity of a thousand suns.
"Explain," she demanded, barely-controlled fury permeating her every word. "Now."
Yukari did so. "I'm not unaware of the theories about me: how I'm from the future, that I watch all of reality from between the cracks, and so on. One part they were correct about was my ability to view what has yet to come, bridging the boundary between present and future."
"Are you going to get the point soon?" Okina asked tersely, "or is this going to be a lecture about your capabilities instead of a dire warning?"
"Patience," Yukari replied. "It's merely an explanation as to how I came across this information. Now if you'll let me continue?"
The secret god huffed in annoyance but ultimately backed down. "Very well, let's hear what you have to say. Just remember," she said, releasing her grip and stepping back. "If this is in any way a deception, I will end you and all those foolish enough to stand by you. Do I make myself clear, O Elusive and Two-Faced Youkai?"
"Quite," Yukari said, unphased by the god's threats. "Now, I'm not so foolish as to rely completely on this tactic, but I do make it a point to watch for catastrophic future events. And one week ago, I found one."
Taking a deep breath, she continued with her explanation. "I assume you've heard of the events surrounding Ozma and the princess he rescued?" She asked.
"Yes, the hero saves the maiden from the castle, dies of illness, and the grieving lover petitions the God of Light himself to resurrect him only to be rebuffed," Okina said, waving off the topic. "What of it?"
"That isn't all." Yukari paused to take a breath before continuing. "She sought out the younger Brother as well, seeking to flatter him into doing what his elder would not. It nearly caused the two to resume their feud and as punishment, she was immersed in the waters of life."
Okina gave Yukari a bored stare. "Is your dramatic warning merely going to consist of telling me things I already know, or are we getting somewhere?"
"It's called buildup," Yukari retorted. "The God of Light made it so that until she understands the value of human life, she may never die and be reunited with her hero. As you might imagine, she isn't particularly keen on learning from the experience."
"As problematic as that sounds for most, it hardly seems like a trigger for the unstoppable doom you described. A single human, mortal or not, is no match against the likes of you or me." Okina stated. "Why can't you just gap the fool to an empty dimension or freeze her in place for the rest of time?"
"Because she isn't alone anymore," Yukari replied. "Once she realized that she truly could not die, Salem went straight to every ruler she could find. She revealed her immortality, claiming that she had stolen it from the Brothers, that they too could achieve this if they overthrew the Gods."
"She's already convinced a dozen minor kingdoms and two major ones." She continued explaining, heedless of Okinas growing unease. "I haven't put an end to her because at this point I can't. She's simply too well-protected, with top-notch priests, warriors, and mages guarding her at all hours. And her forces only continue to grow with time."
"Eventually, she will lead as much of the world as she can tempt against the Brothers. And in disgust at their creations' actions, they will wipe us all away." The story finished, Yukari fell silent and waited to hear Okina's response.
The aforementioned god was lost in thought, mind running through possible outcomes and actions. While she still harbored doubts that the situation was truly as bad as Yukari was claiming, she was also acutely aware of the Divine's attitude towards would-be usurpers. If anything could anger them enough to retaliate indiscriminately, it would be a global rebellion led by the one who nearly tricked them into resuming their conflict.
"Satano, Mai. I want the both of you to look around the Vale, see if any of the local kingdoms have begun preparing for such acts. Additionally, any information about Salem's actions or whereabouts is to be reported to me as soon as possible." Okina ordered, turning to stare down her servants.
"Milady?" Satano asked. "Are you certain?" Only for her to recoil at the sight of her master's glare.
"Confirm or deny Yakumo's story. As much as I want to believe she's twisting the truth like always, we can't afford to dismiss the possibility she's not lying through her teeth for once." Okina said, her tone hard as steel. "Now go. Or do I need to repeat myself a second time?"
"No master, we understand!" The two servants chorused, fleeing the room as fast as their legs would move.
Okina waited a handful of seconds after the pair's departure before letting out a sigh at their actions. As glad as she was to have them, she wouldn't deny that they could be a handful at times.
"So, I take it you're willing to listen then?" Yukari asked, reminding Okina that, yes, she was still there.
The god responded to her "guest's" inquiry with an irritated scowl. "I'm willing to take a fraction of time out of my day to see if you're not spewing hot air for once," she corrected. "Even if it turns out the situation with Salem is truly that dire, I don't buy that you couldn't muster up the forces to stop her well before you became desperate enough to involve me in this manner."
"True, there are a great many beings I could seek aid from who would be more inclined to assist me than you. But that doesn't mean that the method you suggest would be effective." Yukari stated, expertly parrying Okina's verbal blow and riposting.
"And what might be the problem with it? Breaking through the defenses you described would be difficult, not impossible. Once you're through, just teleport Salem away and deal with her in a location of your own choosing."
"The problem," Yukari retorted, stressing the latter word. "Is that bringing together the forces needed and convincing them to work with me would take time, which Salem could use to further strengthen her side. On top of that, a single mistake would mean drawing the attention of the rest of the world."
"Should that happen, it wouldn't only be Salem's pawns up in arms against us. There are plenty of nations and individuals who would happily join forces with her and each other if it meant a chance to crush such a group."
She shook her head, looking down at the floor. "Even the strongest among us would eventually falter under such numbers. And I have little hope that they would all come together before it was too late."
Okina pinched the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, and exalted deeply. "In other words, you can't just grab her, and gathering allies for an attack would take too long and risk inviting other groups to help her. Not helped by the fact that most gods and a good deal of youkai wouldn't want anything to do with you."
"There's no need to be so harsh about it," Yukari said, having the gall to look offended at her description. "It's not like them joining would balance out the extra attention they would bring anyway."
"That doesn't make you any less rotten," Okina retorted, folding her arms over her chest. "What even is your plan then? If stopping Salem isn't an option, why pay me such a desperate visit? For that matter, if you can foresee the Brother's actions, why not try and convince them?"
"Do you really think I haven't thought about that?" Yukari asked as if speaking to a particularly dim ten-year-old. "I could only tell they would end the world because the event accrued so much temporal mass that possibility itself was skewed. Trying to predict them in any other manner is as impossible as ever."
"You didn't answer my question," the god stated, jabbing her finger at the irritating intruder. "Why are you here, and why couldn't you talk to them."
Yukari fixed her with an unamused stare. "I can't speak with the Brothers because the elder won't do anything that goes against his punishment," the exasperated youkai explained, raising her index finger. "And the younger would almost certainly kill me if I try to convince him of anything. After being tricked by Salem, his tolerance for beings like myself is going to be at an all-time low."
Seeing Okina start to open her mouth again, she quickly continued on. "And I'm here because I need the help of certain individuals. While we can't stop Salem from dooming the world, we might be able to save something of it." She finished, dramatically pausing at the end.
It was, Okina reflected, simultaneously impressive and infuriating how Yukari could give just enough information to encourage cooperation while still not actually explaining anything.
Before she could express her appreciation for the youkai's theatrics, Satano and Mai burst back into the room, their faces taunt with horror.
"Okina-sama!" Satano cried out, skidding to a stop in front of her master, while Mai tripped and slammed into a wall. "It was terrible, there were troops everywhere, dozens of priests and magicians, we were nearly caught more times than I can count!" Satano said, tears welling up around her eyes.
"That's right!" Mai said, pushing herself to her feet like she hadn't just slammed face-first into a magically reinforced chunk of wood. "There were those monkey youkai in the Emerald City, some priests painted holy symbols on every one of the Red Queen's doors, King Prigio almost spotted us while he was talking to that Salem lady, and she felt like the older Brother, and.." Her voice began to grow more and more frantic.
"Enough," Okina commanded, stopping Mai's ramblings before they could begin snowballing. "What you're saying is that not only are two major powers in the Vale suddenly acting far more militant and paranoid, but King Prigio has been conversing with Salem."
"Yes, master!" The two chorused, Satano leaning forward to elaborate. "The residents of Emerald City have tripled their production of magic items and begun an aggressive conscription campaign under the orders of Elphaba."
That worried Okina somewhat. The witch wasn't the strongest or wisest, but she could be clever enough to cause issues on her better days. With enough resources, she could very well pose a threat to the entire Vale.
Satano continued on. "The Red Queen is throwing anyone with magical or spiritual talent through the looking glass so that she can recruit the survivors and whatever pillage they bring."
That was worse. The mirror realm wasn't quite the same as her own, but it was close enough that it could conceivably be used to enter the Land of the Back Door without her permission. To say nothing of the risks upsetting the balance between worlds may have.
"And King Prigio's advisors were talking about how they supported his guest's proposal. There were more guards and troops than usual, but we couldn't tell if they were there to stop her or help her. There was a lot of support among the higher-ups, but the king himself hasn't voiced an opinion yet."
"He looked like he didn't really like her, but he seemed pretty interested in what she was saying." Mai chimed in, wanting to contribute to the discussion.
And with that, Yukari's concerns suddenly became valid enough that she couldn't risk ignoring them.
"So, the Emerald City and Red Queen are recruiting and preparing for war," Okina said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "Meanwhile, King Prigio has personally met with Salem and is either against her plans but unable to act without risking revolt from his advisors or willing to tolerate her for the sake of his goals."
She let out a sigh, opening her eyes and letting her arms fall to her sides before turning back towards Yukari. "I'm not fully convinced you're telling the truth about the apocalypse, but I suppose you've earned enough rope to hang yourself with."
"I'll endeavor to live up to such faith," Yukari deadpanned. "Shall we be off then? There are quite a few people I need to speak with and I would rather get one particular individual out of the way as quickly as possible."
"Oh?" Okina asked, raising an eyebrow. "And who might this person be, to irritate the dreaded Yukari Yakumo so?"
Yukari smirked at the secret god. This was not a regular smirk, no, this facial expression was the sort often seen on felines who had not only cornered the canary but convinced it that the fleshy cave was actually a tunnel to safety, don't mind the smell.
"Oh, no one too important," Yukari said, her smirk widening into a toothy grin. "Merely that troublesome Lunar Sage and her princess."
It took Okina a moment to confirm to herself that, yes, she had just heard Yukari Yakumo say that they were going to recruit Eirin Yagokoro. The Brain of The Moon had nothing but disdain for gods and youkai alike, possessing plenty of reasons to dislike Yukari in particular.
Yes, she could understand some of the Youkai's reasoning, Yagokoro was quite possibly the most intelligent being in existence after all, but that same intelligence was often turned toward removing unwanted interlopers with extreme prejudice. Even she, the Ultimate Absolute Secret God, had barely managed to maintain a door to her abode without being found out.
Maybe. She still wasn't quite certain that the connection hadn't been left intact as a trap for her should she try to assault Eientei.
Still, that explained why Yukari had come to Okina first. The Youkai of Boundaries wouldn't have been able to get within a mile of the compound on her own before being shot down by whatever defenses had been set up to keep unwanted guests away. With The Land of Back Door's connections, they might actually get close enough to speak to Eirin before being set upon by whatever nightmarish creations she's concocted over the millennia.
"When I said I would give you a chance, I thought it would be for a handful of tense conversations with the other powers," Okina said, trying to keep her voice level. "Not a suicide mission."
"It's hardly that bad," Yukari waved away the god's concerns. "As long as we can speak to the doctor, the topic will be enough to convince her to confirm or deny the idea. Much like you did in fact."
Okina turned back to her servants. "If I'm not back in two hours, go find Hoshiguma. Tell her that I'm either captive or dead and there's a vintage Makai bloodwine waiting for her if she'll help you rescue or avenge me."
"No such concern for myself?" Yukari asked, somehow managing to keep a straight face. "How callous of you, oh secret god."
Okina spared the youkai's theatrics a glance before focusing back on Sakuno and Mai. "If Yakumo returns but I don't, she's either led me into a trap or abandoned me. You know what to do if that turns out to be the case."
"Yes master!" The pair chorused, nodding their heads with all the seriousness they could muster.
"Honestly," Yukari sighed. "Why is it that almost everyone I speak to thinks I'm some sort of sociopathic puppet master?"
"Apparently, spending centuries manipulating almost everyone, as well as ensuring you're one of the most feared beings in the world, doesn't lend itself to charitable opinions," Okina said sarcastically. "Now, let's get this over with before I change my mind."
"The perils of community activism I suppose," Yukari drawled, turning to face the sea of floating doors.
"So, which one do we need?" She asked her reluctant assistant.
After shooting Yukari a glare, Okina pointed at a door floating in the distance. "There," she said. "That one should take us to Eientei's rear entrance."
"There isn't a back door further in?" Yukari complained as the two floated towards their destination.
"If I left a connection anywhere more populated, it would drastically increase the chances of Yagokoro coming across it and noticing something," Okina explained. "Using the back entrance not only gives me the strongest connection, but the compound's defenses cover up any link to my realm."
"Well, I suppose we'll just have to make do then," Yukari sighed. The two came to a stop in front of the previously indicated door. "Have you gotten a glimpse at the layout by any chance?"
"I rule the Land of Back Doors, not the land of architecture," Okina retorted. "What's your excuse?"
"Fair enough," Yukari conceded. "Well, I suppose there's nothing to do but play it by ear then." She gestured at the door. "I suppose you want me to go first?"
"I would ask you to pardon my caution, but we both know you deserve it."
Obligatory pre-departure banter concluded, Yukari opened the door and stepped through, Okina following suit shortly after.
And, after six chapters, the canon cast finally start showing up.
Hopefully, the bit about Yukari and foreseeing the Gods' actions make sense. Given just how far beyond their creations the pair is, it made sense that none of the various beings would have been able to comprehend them well enough to make predictions. Yukari just loopholed it by looking at all possibilities and noticing just how many end up dead wastelands rather than try to view the Brothers or their changes.
On a side note, I'm going to be dropping my update rate to once a week after this. It seems more sustainable for now.